Method and means employed in casing-in books



C. SCHRAMM METHOD AND MEANS EMPLOYED IN CASING-IN BOOKS May 14, 1940.

Filed June 15, 1939 Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES METHOD AND EMPLOYED IN CASING-IN BOOKS Carl Scln'amrn, North Coventry, to The Smyth Manufacturing;

Conn., assignor Company, Hartford, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut, Application June 13, 1939, Serial No. 278,837

9 Claims.

It is desirable, particularly with high class books, to have the front edges of the sides of the covers the same distance from and parallel with the creases and joints and to have the front edges of the books parallel with the front edges of the covers, and thewaste leaves, that is, the outside leaves that are pasted to the inside of the covers should be so positioned when they are secured to the covers that the margins between the top, bottom and front edges of the waste leaves and the edges of the covers will be uniform in width and the edges of the waste leaves parallel with the edges of the covers, not only for appearance but so that the books will be squarely covered.

Previously when the cases, that is the covers, are applied to the fillers, that is the stitched signatures, by so-called casing-in machines, especially high speed casing-in machines which bind large numbers of books per hour, the margins are liable to be wider along one edge than another and the edges'of the book leaves not parallel with the edges of the covers. I

The great mass of books commonly produced have covers comprised of an outside envelope of cloth, leather or other surfacing material with the top, bottom and front edges of that material wrapped around rectangularly trimmed paper boards or other substantial material provided for stiffening the sides of the covers, the backs of the covers from the joints that are formed at the back edges of the boards being more or less flexible. The book signatures after being stitched, or otherwise secured together, are supposed to be trimmed so that their top and bottom edges are parallel and the front edges perpendicular to the top and bottom edges and parallel with the backs, but this is not always the condition as the books may not have been trimmed squarely or may have been stitched tighter at one end than the other. When i a cover and book are being assembled the cover is engaged adjacent to the joints by creasing or gripping jaws, and as the cover is folded againstthe paste coated waste leaves of the book, it often happens, owing to the flexibility of the means which secure the signatures together or to faulty trimming or to variations in stitching, that the cover joints and book joints on one side or the,

other will not exactly register, that is, there may be a space, parallel or oblique, between the book joints and the cover joints, in which case the waste leaves of the book will not squarely register with the cover when pasted to the cover and the book not squarely set in the cover.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for casing-in and like machines which will eliminate the imperfection mentioned and ensure the square relation of the books when the binding is finished.

This object is attained by arranging means which as a book and cover are assembled, will enand covers gage the front edge of the book and press the book into the cover and cause the back of the book to swell out the back of the cover and draw the'sides of the Cover until the back edges of the stiffening boardsare obstructed by the transfer or creasing jawswhich grip the book along the joints at this time and thus establish the correct relation of the creases or joints and the front edges of the book and cover, any irregularities due to trimming or stitching being absorbed in the back of the cover.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a view of an opened book with the book defe'ctively positioned on the cover. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the book and cover correctly related. Fig. 3 is an enlarged edge view of a book and cover illustrating a defect that might occur in the rapid casing-in of books. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a different defect. Fig. 5 is a view showing how such defects may be cured. Fig. 6 illustrates means that maybe employed for straightening the books in the covers.

The book I which is illustrated, is composed of signatures stitched or otherwise fastened in the usual way at the back 2, and the cover as is common has an outer covering of fabric, paper, leather or other flexible material 3 and rectangularly cut boards 4 for stiffening the sides, the covering material being folded about the top, bottom and front edges of the boards and the back edges 5 of the boards forming the lines of the joints between the sides and back 6 of the coverj A book cased-in by the type of machine illustrated inPatent No. 1,765,349, June 17, 1930, is lifted by a blade between means which applies paste to the outer surfaces of the waste leaves I and is carried into the cover, the sides of which are folded down. and the boards pressed against the pasted leaves as the book israised. As the book with the cover reaches the limit of upward movement. creasing or transfer jaws 8 move in from the sides and engage the cover for setting the cover joints 9 into thebook joints I0. The

jaws may be reciprocated transversely of the book by toggle mechanism ll actuated from any convenient element of the casing-in machine.

When the book is grasped by the jaws a support. l2 that has a convex upper surface which is parallel with the jaws, is raised against the front edge of the book in such manner to press thebook upward into the cover. The support may be raised for pressing the book upward by a wedge bar l3 actuatedifrom any convenient mechanism of the casing-in machine. Guide bars l4 may be arranged to prevent the sides of the cover from bulging when the book is pressed into the cover.

If, when a cover is folded down against the pasted waste leaves of a book a stiffening board on" one side of the cover should be positioned so side of a creasing jaws, as indicated in Fig. 3, or if the rear edges of both boards should be spaced away from the under sides of the creasing jaws, as indicated in Fig. 4, the upward pressure of the support against the front edge of the book forces the backs of the signatures into the back of the cover and swells out the cover back to proper shape and causes it to draw up the board orboards which are misaligned until they register with the under sides of the jaws. edges of the boards are parallel and the back edges of the boards are registered with the creasing jaws the front edges of the boards and book will then be parallel with the creasing jaws and the book will be squarely set in the cover with the joints of the cover and book on both sides uniform and properly related.

If the support is in the form of a continuous rail and the covered book is carried along the support to the creasing or transfer jaws, as in the type of machine illustrated in Patent No. 2,151,991, March 28, 1939, the support could be stationary but shaped or located so that the book would be pressed up into the cover and the back of the cover drawn tight over the back of the book. In this case any irregularities clue to stitching or trimming would be absorbed in the back of the cover and the front edge of the book would be parallel with the front edge of the cover. With the support stationary and pressing against the front of the book, should the jaws be arranged to press down toward the support the back of the cover would be drawn closely over the back of the book and thus take up any irregularities. By thus straightening up the book in the cover the waste leaves of the book will be so drawn that when finally adhered to the cover the margins l5 between the edges of the book leaves and edges of the cover will be uniform, as illustrated in Fig. 2, rather than irregular as indicated in Fig. 1.

The invention claimed is:

1. Mechanism for casing-in books which comprises reciprocatory jaws movable toward the sides of the books and adapted to grip the covered books along the cover joints, mechanism for reciprocating said jaws into and out of engagement with said joints, a reciprocatory rail with its upper surface extending parallel to the under faces of said jaws that is adapted to be forced against the front edges of the books and mechanism adapted to press the rail against the front edges of the books while the jaws are gripping the covers and cause a parallel registration of the book joints and cover joints with respect to the front edges of the books.

2. Mechanisvvfor casing-in books which comprises jaws movable toward the sides of the books and adapted to grip the covered books along the cover joints, mechanism for reciprocating said jaws into and out of engagement with said joints, book supporting means that has an unbroken contour of the shape of the contour to be given the front edges of the books, said means being movable toward and adapted to engage the front edges of the books and mechanism adapted to press said book supporting means against the front edges of the books while the laws are engaging the covers and force the books into the covers and cause the correct registration of the book joints and cover joints with respect to the front edges of the books.

3. Mechanism for casing-in books which com- As the front and back prises jaws adapted to grip covered books along the cover joints, toggle mechanism for reciprocating said jaws into and out of engagement with said joints, means adapted to engage the front edges of the books and wedging mechanism adapted to force said means against the front edges 7 of the books while the jaws are gripping the joints, means movable toward and shaped to engage the front edges of the books and mechanism adapted to force said means against the front edges of the books, while the jaws are engaging the covers, and compel thebooks to slide into the covers thus held, until the book joints and cover joints register with each other and the front I edges of the covers are parallel with and equal distances from said jaws.

5. In the art of casing-in books the method of ensuring the square positioning of covers on the books which comprises gripping'the covered books along their joints, and exerting pressure against the front edges of the books while thus gripped and pressing the books into the covers and causing the backs of the booksto swell out the backs of the covers and draw the joints of the covers and books into registration with each other and with the means employed for gripping the covers.

6. In the art of casing-in books the method of ensuring the square positioning of books in their covers, which comprises gripping the covered books along their joints, and exerting pressure against the front edges of the books. while thus gripped and causing the backs of the books to draw the joints of the covers and books into registration with each other and with the means employed for gripping the covers.

7. In the art of casing-in books the method of ensuring the square relation of the books and covers which comprises gripping the covered books along their joints and pressing against the front edges of the books while thus gripped and forcing the backs of the books into the covers until the front edges of the books are parallel with. the front edges of the covers.

8. In the art of casing-in books the method of ensuring the square relation of the books and covers which comprises holding the covers along their joints and exerting pressure against the front edges of the books while thus held and by such pressure forcing the backs of the books into the covers until irregularities of trimming or stitching of the books are taken up in the backs of the covers and the front edges of the books are parallel with the front edges of the covers.

9. In the art of casing-in books the method of ensuring the square positioning of books in their covers, which comprises gripping the covered books along their joints, and exerting sufiicient pressure against the front edges of the books while thus gripped to cause the backs of the booksto swell outand draw the 'sides of the covers until the back edges of the stiffening boards of the covers are obstructed by said gripping means and thereby establishing a square relation of the covers and books. 

